§1What this business is
Glass toys are hollow or solid decorative pieces — birds, animals, ships, model sets and figures — kept on shelves in homes, shops, hotels and restaurants. Clear and coloured soda-lime glass tubes and rods are heated and softened over an LPG burner, then pulled, bent, pressed and blown into shape with blowing tools. Legs, hands and other parts are joined on from extra rods and tubes. Complicated pieces are made from heat-resistant, low-expansion glass (printed in the profile as "carving" and "Corning" glass), which lasts longer. Value is added by silvering hollow pieces, giving solid pieces iridescent lustre coatings, or applying glass colours and transfers and fixing them in a muffle furnace. There is no standard specification; joints, bends and corners must be clear and smooth, which depends on skilled workers.
Capacity: 1,26,000 toys a year valued at ₹20.66 lakh — 1,10,000 soda-lime glass toys at ₹15 each and 16,000 heat-resistant glass toys at ₹26 each.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A glass artisan or a trader from a glass cluster such as Firozabad who can gather skilled workers and sell to gift shops.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot find or train flame-working artisans.
Advantages
- Very little equipment — burners, cylinders, benches and one small furnace
- Raw glass is a small part of the cost; most of the value is skill
- Fragile pieces break and are bought again
- The profile sees an export market for fine work
Drawbacks
- Everything depends on skilled flame-workers, who are hard to find
- Wages are about two-thirds of the monthly cost
- High break-even of 61%
- Fragile goods mean breakage in packing and transport
Skills you need
- Flame-working (bending, pulling and blowing glass)
- Silvering and lustre coating
- Decorating with glass colours and transfers
- Careful packing and gift-trade selling
Why difficulty 3/5: Cheap to set up, but the whole unit rests on rare hand skill.
§3Market
Who buys
- Gift and handicraft shops
- Households buying showpieces
- Hotels, restaurants and shops for display
- Exporters of handicrafts
How it sells
- Own showroom at the unit (the profile includes an office-cum-showroom)
- Supply to gift shops and emporia
- Fairs and exhibitions
Good to know
- Selling prices in the profile: ₹15 for a soda-lime glass toy and ₹26 for a heat-resistant glass toy.
- The profile says well-made, sophisticated pieces have a good market abroad.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| LPG cylinders | 12 | ₹12,000 |
| Burners | 12 | ₹4,800 |
| Oxygen cylinders | 2 | ₹1,600 |
| Oxygen regulators | 4 | ₹800 |
| Blowing work benches | 12 | ₹14,400 |
| Muffle furnace, 600 × 300 mm chamber, 12 kW, 750–800°C, with automatic temperature control | 1 | ₹75,000 |
| Racks, beakers, flasks and measuring cylinders for silvering work | — | ₹25,000 |
| Office equipment and furniture | — | ₹5,000 |
From: DC-MSME project profile — Glass Toys (2010)
- Soda glass tubes40 kg a month at ₹50 a kg
- Clear soda glass rods30 kg a month at ₹50 a kg
- Amber and other coloured glass tubes and rods60 kg a month at ₹55 a kg
- Heat-resistant ("Corning") glass tubes and rods20 kg a month at ₹320 a kg
- Chemicals for silvering₹4,000 a month
- Iridescent lustres and coatings₹2,500 a month
- Packing materials and cardboard₹6,000 a month
From: DC-MSME project profile — Glass Toys (2010)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam registration
- GST registration
- Trade licence from the local body
- Fire-safety precautions and safe storage for LPG and oxygen cylinders
- IEC code if you export
Start it in your state
Pick your state: today’s cost, central + state subsidy, raw material, land and help, on one page.
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
At ₹8.50 lakh the project fits PMEGP (manufacturing ceiling ₹50 lakh) and a MUDRA loan (up to ₹20 lakh); CGTMSE can cover the bank loan without collateral.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Fixed capital ₹4,55,000 (land 150 sq m ₹90,000; workshed, office-cum-showroom, store and boundary wall ₹2,20,000; machinery and equipment ₹1,45,000) + working capital for 3 months ₹3,95,100 = ₹8,50,000 as printed.
Working capital: Recurring cost ₹1,31,700 a month, of which wages are ₹90,200 and glass, chemicals and packing only ₹25,700; working capital for 3 months ₹3,95,100.
Prices from November 2010 — land, building, glass, LPG and wage costs will be much higher now.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH)
- The profile notes export potential for highly finished pieces.
- Confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker before shipping.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Skilled workers leaving
- Burns and fire from LPG and oxygen cylinders
- Breakage in transit
- Cheap plastic and imported decorative items
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working glass toys (flame-worked decorative figures) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Glass Toys (Flame-Worked Decorative Figures)?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.